Panel structure



July 5, 1966 F. N. RusHToN 3,258,892

PANEL ,STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 16, 1962 26 INV ENTOR l26 Freder/'c/f /V. Rush/0n ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,258,892 PANEL STRUCTURE Frederick N. Rushton, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Washington Aluminum Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Nov. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 238,206 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-615) This invention relates generally to oor panels for building structure, and more particularly it pertains to a ply panel assembly of thin metal webs so formed and secured together asv to result in an unusually strong reinforced panel having no tendency to sag or warp.

Corrugated or honeycomb panel construction has been widely employed in the panel industry. Cup structure reinforcement also is quite old in the art.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved reinforcement formation of panel which is integrated over the surface and extends into the sides of a pan structure to improve the overall strength of a composite panel unit as a whole.

Another object of this invention is to provide a metal panel which is light weight, strong and relatively easy to manufacture with simple tooling and which can be set into and retained in a oor recess without additional securing structure.

Other objects of this invention are to provide ply panel assemblies which are economical to manufacture, easy to install and disassemble, and which are extremely efficient, strong, .and reliable in operational use.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent and understood from the following detailed specication and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved floor panel incorporating features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the panel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged bottom view of a portion of the panel taken in the direction of the arrows 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross section of the panel taken across the pedestals on line 4 4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken across the plateaus and valleys on line 5 5 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the details of the drawings of FIGS. l to 5 inclusive, there is shown a structure tile or panel incorporating features of this invention which is indicated generally therein by reference numeral 10. The panel is fabricated from two metal pieces, a top plate 12 and a lower structural embossed member or pan 14. The top plate 12 is a plain sheet of meal requiring no further description.

The pan 14 has a at bottom 1S and raised sides having outwardly flanged edges 20. H-ollow conical pedestals 16 are pressed upward from the pan bottom 18 so as to extend to the same height as the top surface of the flanged edges 20. The pedestals are formed to a small diameter rounded top or tip 22.

These tips 22 are each welded to the top plate 12. The flanged edge 20 of the pan is also welded to the top plate 12 preferably by a plurality of spaced spot welds not shown.

The pedestals 16 are further formed from the pan bottom with a smoothly curved base flange extending out- 3,258,892 Patented July 5, 1966 lCe wardly. Thus, each pedstal 16 has a base radius 24 which together with the rounded tip 22 smoothly distributes the load from the top plate 12 to the bottom pan 14 with what may be visualized as a sinusoidal connecting structure as viewed in cross section, as indicated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As described this far, a panel so formed will not sag even under great loading. Further, the depressed pan configuration allows the panel 10 to be oriented readily, seated and supported by the flanges in and upon the edges of rectangular openings as in a floor even without further fastening if desired so as to provide ready access therebeneath.

As further shown in the drawings it will be noted that elongated valleys 26 as viewed from the bottom side of the panel 10 extend from each radius 24 to an adjacent radius 24.

This is an additional feature of the invention and occurs without further tooling merely by crowding the pedestals 16 more densely together. As the metal is embossed during the forming of the pedestals 16 and the radius 24 draws material from the pan bottom 18, more material withdraws between adjacent pedestals 16 than elsewhere.

The thus-formed valleys 26 appear as undulations alternating with plateaus 28 as best seen in FIG. 5, and join the adjacent pedestals together at their bases in four directions as noted in FIG. 4.

The same drawing action taken place at the sides of the pan 14 to form a pucker 30 which extends into the adjacent pedestal base.

The resulting wallie-like pattern comprising the pedestals 16, valleys 26, plateaus 28 and puckers 30 considerably stilfens the pan 14, not only preventing sag under load, but also resisting warpage and twist of the assembled panel 10 generally.

If desired a unitary tile structure of non-slip or decorative quality can be obtained by aflxing a corrugated tread plate or a carpeting material 32 to the upper surface of the top plate as shown.

The pedestals 16 may be arranged in staggered rows rather than as shown. In this case the valleys 26 will run diagonally on the pan 14.

Obviously many modications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A resilient structural floor panel, comprising, a truss pan having a flat bottom and raised sides having outwardly flanged edges, said llat bottom having a plurality of rows of right-frusto conical shaped pedestals formed upwardly therefrom and extending to the same height as the top surface of said flanged edges of said truss pan, each said pedestal having a small diameter rounded top and a smoothly curved base ange extending outwardly and around the periphery therefrom at the bottom of each said pedestal said flat bottom having elongated shaped projections extending from the base flange of each said pedestals to the base flange of adjacent pedestals, with said elongated projections having a height less than the height of the rounded tops of said pedestals, a tread plate covering said truss pan and arranged coextensively with the outwardly anged edges of said raised sides of saidtruss pan, and means for integrally joining the rounded tops of said pedestals and said anged edges of said truss pan to said tread plate, whereby a unitized rigid floor panel having rows of pedestals is obtained.

2. The resilient structural oor panel as recited in claim 1 wherein said elongated projections and said pedestals form alternating rows.

3. The resilient structural oor panel as recited in claim 2 wherein said pedestals are spaced inwardly from 4L said raised sides of said truss pan, whereby said sides are substantially continuous.

Reerences Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RlCI-IARD W. COOKE, IR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A RESILIENT STRUCTURAL FLOOR PANEL, COMPRISING, A TRUSS PAN HAVING A FLAT BOTTOM AND RAISED SIDES HAVING A PLURALITY OF LY FLANGED EDGES, SAID FLAT BOTTOM HAVING A PLURALITY OF ROWS OF RIGHT-FRUSTO CONICAL SHAPED PEDESTALS FORMED UPWARDLY THEREFROM AND EXTENDING TO THE SAME HEIGHT AS THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID FLANGED EDGES OF SAID TRUSS PAN, EACH SAID PEDESTAL HAVING A SMALL DIAMETER ROUNDED TOP AND A SMOOTHLY CURVED BASE FLANGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND AROUND THE PERIPHERY THEREFROM AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH SAID PEDESTAL SAID FLAT BOTTOM HAVING ELONGATED SHAPED PROJECTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE BASE FLANGE OF EACH SAID PEDESTALS TO THE BASE FLANGE OF ADJACENT PEDESTALS, WITH SAID ELONGATED PROJECTIONS HAVING A HEIGHT LESS THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE ROUNDED TOPS OF SAID PEDESTALS, A TREAD PLATE COVERING SAID TRUSS PAN AND ARRANGED COEXTENSIVELY WITH THE OUTWARDLY FLANGED EDGES OF SAID RAISED SIDES OF SAID TRUSS PAN, AND MEANS FOR INTEGRALLY JOINING THE ROUNDED TOPS OF SAID PEDESTALS AND SAID FLANGED EDGES OF SAID TRUSS PAN TO SAID TREAD PLATE, WHEREBY A UNITIZED RIGID FLOOR PANEL HAVING ROWS OF PEDESTALS IS OBTAINED. 